J. MAGKENS MELLO ON SOME BONE-CAVES IN CRESWELL CRAGS. 681 



a yard or two ; and the other can only be pursued by a sidelong motion, 

 being little over a foot wide. At several points large masses of rock 

 have slipped and are wedged between the roof and the floor ; and at 

 other parts the roof is filled up with stalactite. At about 40 yards from 

 the entrance progress is barred by a mass of stalagmite or rock partly 

 closing the fissure, which here gets extremely narrow. A vertical 

 section shows that the fissure inclines at a low angle from west to 

 east from the top downwards. The floor slopes gently upwards and 

 is tolerably smooth, especially near the mouth. With the kind and 



Fig. 4. — Longitudinal Section of the Floor at the Entrance of 

 Fissure A, in Creswell Crags. 



O -X a 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 10 JJ. 13 



ScaZe of fuet 



For letters see fig. 3. 



able assistence of a non-geological friend, Mr. C. White, of Chester- 

 field, I began a thorough examination of the contents of the floor 

 of this fissure ; the result of this, as far as it has been at present 

 carried out, I will now proceed to give. 



The cutting was commenced near to the entrance of the cave ; and 

 after three days' work the following section was obtained (see figs. 

 3 and 4):— 



1. Surface-soil, containing recent pottery, bones, &c 1-6 in. 



2. Damp red sand, with rough blocks of magnesian limestone, quartz, 



quartzite and other pebbles, and numerous bones 3 feet. 



3. Lighter-coloured sand, consolidated by infiltration of lime. No 



bones yet found (?) 



The layer of surface-soil is some 6 inches thick or more at the 

 entrance, but gets very thin further in, until a point is reached about 

 23 feet from the beginning of the cutting, where two large projections 

 of rock contract part of the fissure. Behind these this layer is con- 

 siderably thicker, and about 4 inches below the surface it contained 

 a fine flint flake. All the other contents of this layer hitherto found 

 are quite recent, being mere fragments of brown and white earthen- 

 ware, bits of pipes, &c. The underlying bed of red sand proved to be 

 very rich in bones ; this I have carefully removed throughout a space 25 

 feet long by about 2 feet wide (being the full width of the fissure), and 

 to its entire depth, viz. about 3 feet. There were no traces of regu- 



